Blogs from China, Asia - page 2269

So yesterday of course was the Ides of March. The fateful day in 44 BC where Julius Caesar met his untimely death. Some 2000 years later, yours truly entered the world. Well, this year my birthday would be spent in Beijing. This was extremely weird for those back home sending me birthday wishes because, given the time difference, they would have to do so the day before. Many seemed confused why they were wishing me a happy birthday on March 14th. From my perspective it was "Brett-fest '06" in that when I talked to some of my family the next day....it was still my birthday. Two full days of birthday....crazy! However, when I mentioned my birthday to Chinese people...they usually had the same reaction....March 15th is an important day in China. "Oh yeah," I would reply, ... read more

We have now begun our fourth week here and the routine remains “dynamic”. We have a teaching schedule, which has me in class on Monday and Tuesday and Ellen in class on Monday and Friday. We each have some additional responsibilities that require a fair amount of additional time during the week. For Ellen, it is supervising the students who are working on the Chinese Working Women’s Network (CWWN) bus, which each Saturday parks in an industrial area about an hour from here. She has some social work students, for whom this is a field placement and some staff and volunteers for the CWWN. This is important work, one that nourishes the tendrils of an independent labor movement here in the PRC with Ellen’s considerable experience and acumen. She has also been going with the bus ... read more

Well, we are about to leave Xi'an for Shanghai. We've been here since the lovely 12 hour train ride from Beijing. We bought a "hard sleeper" and they weren't kidding. We got a bit of sleep with our ear plugs, eye covers and bellies full of tylenol pm but it wasn't enough. I've never had an issue with sleeping after popping some tylenol pm but it was a pretty bumpy ride. After we arrived we were bombarded with, "Hello. Do you have a place to stay? (yes) Oh, where? (at a hostel) Do you know how to get there? Because I'm tour guide and I can take you there for cheap. (we know how to get there but thanks) But I can take you there. (we are already meeting a tour guide) Oh. long pause as ... read more

On a warm August afternoon, at the end of summer 2002, I landed at Harbin’s airport. From the window on the Air China plane, the city looked gray, dusty, and somewhat tired after trying to survive the heat of the fading summer. I did not mind it. I was exited to be here again and looked forward to a pleasant and enjoyable time in this northern city, capital of Heilongjiang Province, China. I think that it was then that I found you again, my darling China, my dear Harbin. This story started, so I think, when I was a little boy - one that was blessed with high degree of imagination and curiosity. In a courtyard, adjacent to my parent’s house, I used to spend my childhood days playing inside a large cardboard box, transforming it ... read more

Getting off the plane from Shanghai to Xiamen we were fully clad in our winter attire only to be whacked by a torrent of warm air when exiting the airport. OH OH the sun. So nice. It is amazing how one takes sunlight for granted. Having bounced from hemisphere to hemisphere for the last 8 months I have only had summer. So China came as quite a shock to me as well as Ryan. But darling Xiamen was a temperate 23 with blue blue sky. Caught the hour long bus for 1 RMB to Gulang Yu island. Caught the free ferry to the island. Walked into a beautiful youth hostel with high ceilings and sit down toilets. It really is the nicest hostel I have stayed in so far. Very airy and light with terracotta tiles ... read more